EX294 Practice Test 4 — 25 Questions

Question 1

A system administrator wants to publish a custom Ansible collection to a private Automation Hub. What is the correct command to build the collection before publishing?

Accepted Answer

ansible-galaxy collection build. `ansible-galaxy collection build` is the command that compiles the collection directory into a distributable tarball (e.g., `mycollection-1.0.0.tar.gz`), which is the required artifact for publishing to a private Automation Hub. Without this build step, there is no archive to upload.

Answer

ansible-galaxy collection init mycollection

Answer

ansible-galaxy collection publish ./mycollection-1.0.0.tar.gz

Answer

ansible-galaxy collection install .

Question 2

Your team maintains a collection that includes custom modules and plugins. You have been tasked with creating a content collection that adheres to the Red Hat Ansible Content Collection requirements. You have created the directory structure and written the collection code. Now you need to package the collection for distribution to your internal automation hub. You run 'ansible-galaxy collection build' and it completes successfully, generating a tarball. However, when you try to publish it to your private automation hub using 'ansible-galaxy collection publish', you get an authentication error. You have verified that your automation hub server URL and API token are correct. What is the most likely cause of the error?

Accepted Answer

The 'namespace' or 'name' in galaxy.yml does not match the namespace you are allowed to publish to on the automation hub.. The authentication error despite correct server URL and API token indicates that the issue is not with credentials or connectivity, but with authorization. Ansible Automation Hub enforces namespace-based access control: the `namespace` field in `galaxy.yml` must match a namespace you are permitted to publish to. If the namespace does not match, the hub rejects the upload with an authentication/authorization error, even though the token itself is valid.

Answer

The automation hub server is not reachable from your network.

Answer

The collection tarball is corrupted and needs to be rebuilt.

Answer

The collection contains a module that violates a content policy enforced by the hub.

Question 3

An organization wants to include custom Python packages in their execution environment to support custom modules. Which method should be used to define these Python dependencies?

Accepted Answer

Create a `requirements.txt` file and reference it in the `execution-environment.yml` under `dependencies: python:`.. The `execution-environment.yml` file supports a `dependencies` key with a `python` subkey that points to a `requirements.txt` file. This is the standard method defined by the Ansible Builder specification for including custom Python packages in an execution environment, ensuring they are installed during the build process.

Answer

List them in the `galaxy-requirements.yml` file.

Answer

Use `ansible-navigator` to install them during runtime.

Answer

Add them to the `collection-requirements.yml` file.

Question 4

An Ansible playbook contains many tasks. An administrator wants to run only a subset of tasks by passing '--tags ' at the command line. Which of the following must be added to the tasks?

Accepted Answer

a 'tags' directive on each task. The 'tags' directive is the only mechanism in Ansible that allows tasks to be selectively included or excluded when running a playbook with the '--tags' command-line option. By adding a 'tags' attribute to a task (e.g., 'tags: install'), the administrator can target that task specifically, and Ansible's task execution engine filters tasks based on the provided tags at runtime.

Answer

a 'name' with specific naming convention

Answer

a 'block' statement

Answer

a 'when' condition

Question 5

An administrator wants to run a playbook with a different user for a specific host. Which variable should be set?

Accepted Answer

ansible_user. Ansible_user sets the remote user for SSH connections to the target host. Option B (ansible_user_id) is a fact variable that returns the UID of the user running the task on the remote host, not the connection user. Option C (ansible_ssh_user) is a deprecated alias for ansible_user. Option D (ansible_remote_user) is also a deprecated alias.

Answer

ansible_user_id

Answer

ansible_ssh_user

Answer

ansible_remote_user

Question 6

A team uses execution environments (EE) for job templates. The admin builds a custom EE using `ansible-builder` with a `execution-environment.yml` file that includes a `base_image: registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-21/ee-minimal-rhel8:latest` and a custom Python requirement. However, the controller reports that the EE is not found when launching a job. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The built EE image was not pushed to the container registry specified in the controller's execution environment configuration.. After building a custom execution environment with `ansible-builder`, the resulting container image must be pushed to a container registry that the Automation Controller is configured to access. The controller does not automatically pull images from the local build cache; it references the image by its registry path. If the image is not present in the specified registry, the controller will report that the EE is not found when launching a job.

Answer

The base image is pointing to an incorrect registry path.

Answer

The custom Python requirement needs to be added to `requirements.txt` in the project.

Answer

The execution environment does not include a `Containerfile` for the build process.

Question 7

Drag and drop the steps to configure a systemd service to start automatically at boot in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Create unit file, Reload systemd, Enable service, Start service, Verify status. The correct sequence for configuring a systemd service to start at boot is: first create the unit file, then reload systemd to load the new unit, next enable the service to create the necessary symlinks for automatic start, then start the service immediately, and finally verify its status. Common mistakes include omitting the reload step, enabling after starting, or performing the reload too late.

Answer

Create unit file, Enable service, Start service, Verify status

Answer

Create unit file, Reload systemd, Start service, Enable service, Verify status

Answer

Create unit file, Start service, Enable service, Reload systemd, Verify status

Question 8

Which three methods can be used to pass variables to an Ansible playbook? (Select exactly 3.)

Accepted Answer

In the playbook's vars_files directive.. The `vars_files` directive in a playbook allows you to specify external YAML or JSON files containing variables, which are then merged into the play's variable scope at runtime. This is a standard method for passing variables to a playbook, as it separates variable definitions from the playbook logic.

Answer

In the ansible.cfg file.

Answer

In the role's vars/main.yml.

Question 9

An admin attempts to build an execution environment using the exhibited files. The build fails with an error about incompatible Python dependency. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The Python requirements.txt tries to install a version of Ansible that conflicts with the version in the base image.. The build fails because the Python `requirements.txt` file attempts to install a version of Ansible that conflicts with the version already present in the base image `ee-minimal-rhel8`. Execution environments are designed to include a specific Ansible version in the base image; adding a different version via pip creates a dependency conflict that breaks the build.

Answer

The execution-environment.yml file uses incorrect syntax for the 'dependencies' section.

Answer

The collections in requirements.yml are not fully qualified.

Answer

The base image 'ee-minimal-rhel8' is not a valid execution environment base image.

Question 10

In OpenShift, a DeploymentConfig uses the RollingUpdate strategy. Which parameter controls the maximum number of pods that can be unavailable during an update?

Accepted Answer

maxUnavailable. In OpenShift, the RollingUpdate strategy for a DeploymentConfig uses the `maxUnavailable` parameter to specify the maximum number or percentage of pods that can be unavailable during the update process. This ensures that the desired number of pods remain available to serve traffic while the update rolls out, controlling the trade-off between update speed and availability.

Answer

minReadySeconds

Answer

maxSurge

Answer

revisionHistoryLimit

Answer

progressDeadlineSeconds

Question 11

An organization uses automation controller and has multiple teams. They want to create an inventory that automatically includes all hosts from a cloud provider that belong to the 'production' tag, and this inventory should be accessible only to the SRE team. What is the correct way to achieve this?

Accepted Answer

Create a smart inventory with a filter for tag 'production' and assign the SRE team the 'read' role on that inventory.. A smart inventory in automation controller allows you to dynamically filter hosts from an existing source (like a cloud provider) based on criteria such as tags. By creating a smart inventory with a filter for the 'production' tag, you automatically include all matching hosts. Assigning the SRE team the 'read' role on that inventory restricts access to only that team, meeting both requirements without manual updates.

Answer

Create a static inventory file and restrict access via a custom script.

Answer

Use groups in the inventory and assign all production hosts to a group, then restrict access to that group.

Answer

Create a dynamic inventory plugin in each playbook and include a condition to check team membership.

Question 12

Based on the exhibit, which file is generated by `ansible-builder` to support the build?

Accepted Answer

Containerfile. The `ansible-builder` tool uses a definition file (typically `execution-environment.yml`) to construct a container image. During the build process, it generates a `Containerfile` (or `Dockerfile`) that contains the exact instructions for building the container image, such as base image selection, package installation, and collection inclusion. This generated file is the actual artifact that the container runtime (e.g., Podman or Docker) uses to create the execution environment image.

Answer

requirements.yml

Answer

execution-environment.yml

Answer

ansible.cfg

Question 13

An organization is designing a high-availability Automation Platform deployment. Which TWO practices are essential for achieving high availability?

Accepted Answer

Deploy multiple automation controllers behind a load balancer.. Option C is correct because deploying multiple automation controllers behind a load balancer eliminates a single point of failure for the control plane, allowing traffic to be redistributed if one controller node becomes unavailable, which is fundamental to high availability. Option E is correct because using an external PostgreSQL database with replication ensures the shared data layer (job history, credentials metadata, inventories, etc.) remains available even if a database node fails, and externalizing it also decouples database lifecycle from controller nodes. Option A is incorrect because a single PostgreSQL instance on the controller node creates a single point of failure and couples the database to that node, undermining HA. Option B is incorrect because consolidating everything on one powerful node still leaves a single point of failure regardless of performance. Option D is incorrect because storing secrets in the Automation Platform vault is a security best practice for credential management, not a high-availability mechanism.

Answer

Use a single instance of PostgreSQL on the controller node.

Answer

Installation on a single powerful node.

Answer

Store all secrets in the Automation Platform vault.

Question 14

Which THREE of the following are valid attributes of the ansible.builtin.service module?

Accepted Answer

state. The `state` attribute is a core parameter of the `ansible.builtin.service` module, used to define the desired service status (e.g., `started`, `stopped`, `restarted`, `reloaded`). This directly controls the service's runtime state on the target system.

Answer

pattern

Answer

runlevel

Question 15

Drag and drop the steps to configure a network bond (bond0) using nmcli in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

1. Create bond connection; 2. Add slave interfaces; 3. Set bonding mode; 4. Activate bond; 5. Verify bond status. The correct order to configure a network bond using nmcli is: create the bond connection first, then add slave interfaces to it, set the bonding mode (e.g., active-backup), activate the bond, and finally verify the bond status. This sequence ensures that the bond interface exists before adding slaves and that the mode is set before activation so that the bond operates correctly from the start.

Answer

1. Create bond connection; 2. Add slave interfaces; 3. Activate bond; 4. Set bonding mode; 5. Verify bond status

Answer

1. Set bonding mode; 2. Create bond connection; 3. Add slave interfaces; 4. Activate bond; 5. Verify bond status

Answer

1. Add slave interfaces; 2. Create bond connection; 3. Activate bond; 4. Set bonding mode; 5. Verify bond status

Question 16

You have a list `my_list` containing `[0, 1, 2, '', 'hello']`. You want to extract the first truthy element that exists. Which chain achieves this?

Accepted Answer

`my_list | select('truthy') | first | default('')`. `select('truthy')` filters the list to include only elements that evaluate to `true` in Ansible/Jinja2 (non-zero numbers, non-empty strings, etc.), and `first` returns the first such element. The `default('')` provides a fallback if no truthy element exists. This chain correctly extracts `1` from the list `[0, 1, 2, '', 'hello']`.

Answer

`my_list | list | first | default('')`

Answer

`my_list | select('string') | first | default('')`

Answer

`my_list | first | default('')`

Question 17

An Ansible task uses the variable `{{ my_var | default(required=true) }}`. What happens if `my_var` is undefined?

Accepted Answer

The task fails with an error message. The `default(required=true)` filter in Ansible explicitly marks the variable as required. If `my_var` is undefined, the filter raises an error because it enforces that the variable must be provided, causing the task to fail with an error message. This is a deliberate mechanism to catch missing mandatory variables early in playbook execution.

Answer

The task skips the host

Answer

The task uses an empty string

Answer

The task uses the string 'required'

Question 18

Which two statements about ansible-vault are true? (Select exactly 2.)

Accepted Answer

Vault can encrypt entire files or individual variables.. Ansible-vault can encrypt either entire files (e.g., vars files, role defaults) or individual variables within a YAML file using the `!vault` tag. This flexibility allows you to protect sensitive data at the granularity you choose, without requiring separate encrypted files for each secret.

Answer

Vault-encrypted files cannot be used with include_vars.

Answer

Vault uses AES-128 encryption by default.

Answer

Vault passwords can be stored directly in ansible.cfg.

Question 19

An Ansible playbook needs to convert a list of server names into a comma-separated string for an API call. Which filter should be applied to the list variable 'server_list'?

Accepted Answer

join(','). The `join` filter in Ansible is designed to concatenate list elements into a single string using a specified delimiter. Applying `join(',')` to `server_list` will produce a comma-separated string, exactly as required for the API call.

Answer

map('regex_replace', '^', '')

Answer

combine(',')

Answer

regex_replace('
', ',')

Question 20

Refer to the exhibit. The administrator runs the playbook with the 'deploy' tag, but all tasks are skipped. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The --tags option filters tasks; only tasks with the 'deploy' tag run, but none of the role tasks have that tag.. Ansible's --tags option filters task execution so that only tasks tagged with the specified tag(s) run. If the playbook is executed with '--tags deploy' but none of the tasks inside the 'database' role have the 'deploy' tag applied, all tasks are skipped. This is the most likely reason given the symptom that all tasks are skipped rather than an error being raised.

Answer

The role 'database' is not found in the roles_path.

Answer

The inventory host db1.example.com is not in the dbservers group.

Answer

The tags in the role tasks conflict with the play tags, causing a syntax error.